Dreaming Wide Awake
by Redflash's Legacy
Summary: Naruto found and rescued one Mana Tatsumiya after her Magister died. She was now posing as a middle school student while he assisted with the shrine. She had become his dearly beloved...and over time he had become hers. NarutoxMana!
1. Scars of Time

**Hi! Bored, and this plot came to me so I'm frantically trying to write it. I have to ask a favor of any one willing to help me, if you could offer me ideas and help with the storyline and such since my Negima knowledge is kinda limited. Thank you in advance! **

**Well, besides my mindless rant, let's start the story!**

**Also! Thank you to ADK-A Dragon Knight and Vladimer for helping me out! And a shout out to Asha'man of Fire who was one of the inspirations for me writing these crossovers. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Negima, they are the respective properties of Masashi Kishimoto and Ken Akamatsu. **

* * *

**Dreaming Wide Awake**

**Chapter 1: Scars of Time**

* * *

"_Don't die, please, don't leave me alone…" _

_Her words were barely a whisper as she shook the corpse that lie before her. Tears swelled in the eyes of a young girl. Her long, ebony hair matted to her face as raindrops slid over her tan skin. The rain that pelted heavily against the ground did not do much to silence her anguished sobs. _

_The rain failed to wash away the blood that pooled underneath the man's corpse. Moving smaller hands to caress his, she cried even harder, feeling the cold skin against her warm flesh. Her eyes widened as she felt the presence of several demons behind her. _

_Turning ever so slowly around, she was indeed correct in her assumption. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to glare at the demons but the tears that freely flowed greatly countered it. She was a fool to think that they would just leave when they had killed her pactio partner. _

_Subtly moving her gaze to where she had thrown her guns when she saw her pactio partner taking a shot for her, she noticed that they weren't there. Her mind began to race as she tried to strategize a plan to get herself out. She couldn't. She was defenseless against those demons that would surely kill her. They charged. The girl closed her eyes, one final, solitude tear fell from her cheeks. _

_At the same moment that tear hit the ground, several loud shots were heard. She refused to open her eyes as loud, resonating footsteps began to make its way to her. They grew closer and closer until they stopped right in front her. She slowly opened her eyes to see a boy that was about the same age as her, wearing a cloak. He had spiky, blonde hair and whisker marks on his cheeks. And he was holding her pactio card in his left hand a gun in his right hand. He looked at the card before holding it in front of her._

"_I recon this is yours…Mana?" She grabbed it from his hands. "Though it is no longer usable since…" He nodded to the corpse. _

_He took his cloak off, revealing casual clothing underneath, and draped it over her bloody and ripped clothes. _

"_C'mon, let's get you out of here before you suffer from hypothermia." The boy spoke softly, reassuring that he wasn't going to hurt her. Mana snuck a gaze toward the man on the ground, asking wordlessly what was to become of him. _

"_I'll call for back up so we can bury him properly, okay?" Her eyes told him that she didn't truly trust him. He chuckled bitterly as he guided her with him. He looked over his shoulder at the near empty alley, the demons having been exorcized by his bullets. Eyes landing on the corpse. _

"_Gomenasai, Daisuke-sensei." He remorsefully whispered, making sure Mana didn't hear him. The rain let up as the moon illuminated their path. _

* * *

_The night was as silent as any other. No sounds were heard as a young girl set a bouquet of flowers on a tombstone. She had spent most of her day picking out the flowers, making sure they were just right. She stood in complete silence as she offered her prayers for the deceased soul. _

_The tombstone read; Daisuke Namikawa_

"_So this is where you were, Mana-chan." _

_She looked to her side to see the boy who rescued her also offering his own prayers. She had found out his name to be Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. Reopening his eyes, he ruffled Mana's hair._

"_Are you hungry?" She turned around and walked off, blatantly ignoring him_

_He ran after her with anime tears falling from his eyes._

"_No need to be so cold, Mana-chan!"_

* * *

_The duo were walking side by side. The girl was scowling while the taller boy pouted. She was ignoring him still. _

"_Let me take you home, Mana-chan!" _

"…_I can leave by myself." She answered emotionlessly._

"_But I wouldn't feel right to just let you leave by yourself! What if other demons attack?" Naruto replied._

_When she continued to ignore him and walked ahead of him, he ran up and snatched her hand and hoisted her onto his shoulders. She yelped as she clung to his head, afraid to fall. _

"_Ah! Put me down!" She cried out._

"_No way, Mana-chan! This way it's easier for me. So just point to where you live and I'll get you there, no need to worry your pretty little head with walking." He grinned as she gave in minutes later and pointed East. He ran as the air hit his and Mana's face. _

"_Hold on tight!" His laughter ringing loudly. _

* * *

"_You look so cute, Mana-chan!" Naruto gushed as he picked the girl up and twirled her around. She was only short a few inches of his height but he still was able to lift her. She had a small blush on her face as he put her down. _

_They were in her family's shrine; the Tatsumiya Shrine. After their little escapade, they finally found the shrine. The one's taking care of the shrine had happily welcomed him for bringing back the Tatsumiya's only daughter back. He was even allowed to stay as long as he needed to. He could get use to the calm atmosphere. Though the school rush that happened every morning during the school year would have ruined it considering that the shrine was located in a school campus. Mahora Campus to be exact. _

_On with the scene, Mana was in currently her miko outfit. Which she looked so cute in, in Naruto's opinion. She was wearing a white haori, a red hakama and red ribbons tying the front of her hair into two side locks._

"_So, why are you wearing those adorable clothes?" Naruto asked._

_Mana answered offhandedly as she fixed her outfit. "Now that I am back at the shrine, I have my duties that I must complete as a shrine maiden."_

"_Like?"_

_The young girl rolled her eyes. "I am still young so I assist by cleaning the shrine, replacing the incense, etc." Mana grabbed a nearby broom and proceeded outside. Naruto grabbed another broom and ran after her._

"_I'll help!" Cue ultra chibi Naruto sweep. The two continued to sweep as Naruto leaned over._

"_We're bonding, Mana-chan!" _

"_Sure, we are, Namikaze…" Mana retorted. _

"_Moh! Just call me Naruto, Mana-chan! We're friends aren't we?"_

"…" _Remaining silent, Mana heard a strange noise. Turning she found Naruto sulking in a corner, a dark cloud over his head. _

"_Mana-chan doesn't like me very much…" He mumbled, dragging his finger across the ground._

_Sweatdropping, Mana continued to sweep, ignoring the blonde's ranting in the corner. _

* * *

"_How was your first day of school, Mana-chan?" Naruto asked, a bandanna covering his hair and an apron over his clothes. He was sweeping in the front of the shrine entrance steps. He put the broom down and brought out a tea tray from out of no where. _

"_Like any other first day…though my new class seems to be a bit…bizarre." Mana stated as she placed her backpack on the floor, sitting on the steps. Naruto sat next to her and offered her a cup of tea, which she graciously took. They sat, enjoying to serene atmosphere as the sun began to set._

_Though Mana was staying was to be staying in a dorm, she had promised him that she would try to come back to the shrine whenever she wasn't busy. Why she promised that, she didn't know. She told him it was because of her family tradition to take care of the shrine, but she knew the real reason why; she liked seeing him. Though they got off to a rough start, he was an interesting guy to hang around and his happy demeanor was infectious. _

_She was now 14 turning 15 and he was 14 also going on to be 15 years old soon. She was still short his height by an inch or two but taller than most of her classmates, who she was obviously older than. It was two years since the night they first met and he had been staying on the shrine grounds ever since, doing odd jobs for the shrine to not seem like a freeloader. She found out that he was also a mercenary who did missions that were given at the bounty office on the campus (not accessible unless you knew a certain Headmaster). A mercenary…like she and her partner were. Thinking about it now, she did need to start finding a new weapon if she wanted higher missions. The missions she took in the past 2 years were usually find and retrieve or delivery missions with less to no confrontations though another reason for taking those missions may have been because she wanted to lay off the other missions for a while. Naruto's voice brought her back to reality._

"_You are going to stay for dinner, ne?" He placed his empty teacup to his side._

_She nodded. "Sure." _

_Naruto clasped his hand together. "Good! I made you a special back-to-school dinner!" He ran through the entrance to a small building off to the side of the shrine where he was living. _

_Mana smiled as she grabbed her bag and followed into the building, which was just big enough for one occupant. It reminded her of her dorm room. A small bedroom, a kitchen and a connecting bathroom. The table in the kitchen was crowded with all sorts of food dishes. All her favorites. _

"_You sit yourself down and dig in while I run out quickly to get something." Naruto ran out the door as Mana sat down and grabbed a pair of chopsticks. She decided that it was proper etiquette to wait and so she did. Naruto came rushing back in a few minutes later carrying a black bag. _

_Noticing that the food was untouched. "Aw, you didn't have to wait for me." Situating himself in the chair, he put his hands together he exclaimed, "Itadakimasu!" _

_After eating and clearing the table, Naruto encouraged Mana to tell him about her first day in middle school. _

"…_I am in class 1-A which is taught by Takamichi Takahata. I also suspect that some of my classmates are magically aware… it is rather awkward being in a class where I am two or three years older than my classmates though of course they don't know that…" Naruto nodded as she continued to speak. _

"_So, are you taking any new missions?" Mana shot back at him._

"_Not really…none of them interest me right now." Naruto replied, having taken out his two guns and began polishing them. An old habit Mana was use to seeing him do. One gun was black in color with the kanji 'Yami' in white on the handle and the other was white colored with the kanji 'Hikari' in black on its handle (Similar to Dante's 'Ebony and Ivory' guns in Devil May Cry). _

"_Why aren't you taking any exorcism missions, Mana-chan?" Naruto questioned as he examined his gun before polishing them again. _

"_I'm planning on it, but I need to head out sometime soon to get new weapons and ammunition for exorcism missions…it won't do me good to try to tackle that kind of mission without a weapon." _

"_Hm…right, right… What kind of weapons are you looking for?"_

_Mana looked at him strangely. "Well, you should know from seeing my pactio that I was used to using guns when I was traveling with Daisuke-san, so I'm trying to find myself a good pair of guns like those." _

_As she spoke, Naruto had stowed away his guns and made pulled forward a large case from the bag. He pushed the case across the table to Mana._

"_Well, you are in luck because I found those the other day…" He gestured for her to open the case. _

_She opened the case to be confronted with two ebony colored guns similar to his black gun. She took one out and held it in her hand, the familiar cold metal making against her palm made her feel complete once again. She took the cartridge case out and looked at the bullets. _

_She raised an eyebrow. "Demon banishment bullets?" _

_Naruto shrugged. "I'd thought the first mission you'd take would involve taking out demons or something…"_

_She replaced it and closed the case, sliding it back to him._

"_I can't take this…" _

"_You don't like it?"_

"_No…it's just…I can't just accept this…" Her eyes went to the case, filling with want. _

_Naruto pushed it back to her._

"_Take it. I bought it for you as a first day of school present."_

_Mana shook her head. "I still can't take it."_

_Naruto took on a thinking pose. "Then… think of it as me repaying you and your family for letting me stay here for so long." He pushed the case closer to her. She didn't move to take it. _

_He sighed. "If you are my friend, then you will take it, Mana-chan."_

_She looked at him and then at the case. She brought her hands up and took hold of the case, placing it beside her backpack. _

_She re-looked at him saying, "It's exactly what I wanted. Thank you, Naruto…how can I ever repay you for it?"_

_Naruto leaned back into his chair. "Well, the guns sure weren't cheap, but what are friends for? Let's just say you owe me, 'kay?" Naruto looked at the calendar on his wall. There was a red circle on the day after tomorrow. _

"_Ah, almost time to visit sensei's grave again…" _

_Mana's head turned to the calendar. "It's been another year already?… Time sure does pass by quickly." _

_Naruto nodded solemnly. "It sure does… so it's set, we'll go pay tribute to sensei on Sunday. That sound okay?" _

"_Sure, I have off anyway and the shrine can live without us for a day." _

_He stood and moved the dishes to the sink. Mana helped him. _

"_Ara, Mana-chan, you better head to your room, it's getting late…wouldn't want Old Man Konoe on our backs about this." _

"_I should help you clean up first…" Mana drawled, secretly not wanting to leave yet. _

"_When did you start becoming nice to me?…" Naruto's eyes became wide as tears of joy flowed. "Ah, Mana-chan! You do care about me!" _

_A tick mark grew on Mana's head. "On second thought, it _is _getting late. I'll just leave now." She threw her bag on her shoulders and grabbed her gift, walking out as she heard him exclaim, "What happened to the love!" _

_A soft smile found it's way to her visage. When she placed her head onto her pillow, looking forward to a goodnight's rest, her final thoughts were on a certain blonde as sleep succumbed her. _

_The same could be said for that blonde as he lay, looking up at his ceiling. _

* * *

_Sunday came quickly as the two walked together to the site of the grave. It was a two hour ride on a train to get there. The grave itself was located in the forest behind the abandoned house of one of Naruto's old acquaintances. The area around the tombstone was full of lush, green grass and flowers of diverse colors arranged themselves among the ground. It was like the tombstone gave the entire area life._

_The two laid down the offerings and prayed. All movement seemed to have stopped as the two stood there. Naruto was the first to open his eyes and moved to dust off the tombstone. Mana opened her eyes moments later. She looked at her surroundings._

"_Why was it that Daisuke-san was buried here and not at a cemetery?" Mana asked as Naruto looked at her. He moved back to the front of the stone and smile sadly. _

"_Daisuke-sensei always loved nature and forests… he said that when he died he wanted to be laid to rest in a peaceful forest away from modern society…" He had that strange look in his eyes that Mana always knew that meant that she shouldn't probe. He always had that look when he talked about Daisuke-san, who was apparently his teacher though Mana knew nothing else, choosing not to pry any further._

_The two left after they were finished. They were enjoying the soft silence as they walked through a path where flowers fell endlessly above them. It was ruined when Mana and Naruto's stomachs growled. _

"_Eheheh, it seems like we both forgot to eat breakfast this morning, eh, Mana-chan?" Naruto laughed as he patted his stomach. _

_Mana had a slight blush on her face as she nodded. _

"_How about we go out for some anmitsu? I saw a nice place we passed that had anmitsu served all day." _

"_Dessert for breakfast?" She asked adamantly. Though they were her favorite, she knew that dessert was not a very good source of energy needed to start the day._

"_Well…if you want, we can go get ramen." Naruto pointed to a ramen shop they were walking toward. In a flash, Mana was dragging him to the dessert shop. Ramen was alright but she would prefer anmitsu over ramen any day. _

_Like years before, the sweet sound of his laughter filled the air. _

* * *

"_Hm…I may have miscalculated how many demons were surrounding us." Naruto stated lamely as he stood back to back with Mana, their guns at the ready. _

"_Ya think?" Mana growled as her eyes narrowed. Her Demon-Eye glowing a deadly red as she shot out a few more rounds. _

_They were currently in a sticky situation after taking a mission together (though the one who briefed them wasn't too sure about sending two 'kids' on an extermination mission though Mana insisted because of the high pay), their job was to take out any demons they came upon in the sector but all of a sudden a surge of demons had found their way to them and to put it bluntly…they were surrounded by strong ass demons. _

"_So…" Naruto shot a demon in the head. "got a plan?" _

_Mana looked over her shoulder and at him. "Nothing besides the usual 50-50 plan."_

"_You sure you can take half of them?" Naruto asked almost mockingly to encourage her. _

"_Don't mock me, Naruto." A smirk grew on her face. "besides… I have an ace up my sleeve that seems perfect for the situation." After she said that he felt demonic energy burst forth from her 14 year old form._

_Naruto looked warily behind him to see that Mana had taken on a more…demonic form. Her hair was a snowy white, a sharp contrast with her usual black hair color, some her clothes were shredded off by the energy, and her left eye, which was also her Demon-Eye, was glowing dangerously. A black swirl of energy flowed from her. _

_Naruto's eyes widened before narrowing. 'So I was right…she is half demon.' Naruto's gaze returned to his half of the demons._

"_Let's rock n' roll." He and Mana took off, shooting round after round, gunfire ringing high in the air. Appearing beside each other for a brief moment, the two shared a look, sending a private message with their eyes before resuming fire. _

_Hours seemed to pass as the two took out countless demons with their guns. Demon banishment bullets sure come in handy on these missions. Heaving and sighing, the two cast a look over there handy work. The scene, turned battlefield, was littered in holes and small craters, any if not all traces of the demons were gone, disintegrated into thin air. _

_Naruto turned to Mana, who returned to her normal form. "I think we did an awesome job taking them out! From what I can tell, there aren't anymore demons we need to take care of." He moved to leave as her voice stopped him._

"_W-wait!" Mana called out. She thought that he would've questioned her about her demon blood right now. "Aren't you slightly curious about me being a half demon?"_

_He didn't pause, choosing to turn his head a little to look at her. "Oh, I am very curious…so let's go get our payment!" He pumped his fists._

_He left it at that as they made their way back. Mana stealing glances at him the entire time._

* * *

"_It's so peaceful tonight." Naruto sighed happily as he put his arms behind his head, lying on the cool grass, looking at the night sky. "Right, Mana-chan?" _

_The form of Mana Tatsumiya stepped out from behind a tree, she sat down beside his lying form. She too looked at the sky. They remained there, uttering nothing as they looked to the skies. _

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…_you're not planning on asking me anything?" Mana asked._

"_About what?"_

_Mana sweat dropped. "About me being a hanyou."_

_Naruto lifted a brow as he sat up. "You want me to interrogate you? You strange, strange girl…"_

"_You're not at all curious as to why I kept this from you? Why I showed you a while ago?" _

"…_Like I said before, I am very curious, but I don't feel that it is fair that I should pry when you didn't pry when I know you are dying to know why I call Daisuke, sensei. Besides, I don't really care that much if you're half demon, you'll always be Mana-chan to me." Mana's eyes widened before returning to their normal state. _

_He continued. "So when you feel like telling me, I'll be here listening to you and I will answer your burning questions when the time comes." He looked up to see a comet passing by, a flurry of color flying behind it._

"_Suteki, da ne?" He pointed toward the sky. _

_Mana looked up. "It sure is…"Her eyes were a bit glazed from the moment they had and the beautiful scene in front of her. _

"_Makes you appreciate the little things in life, doesn't it?" _

"_Hm, it sure does." She adopted a sad look. Though his eyes were closed, Naruto could sense her troubles._

"_What's wrong now, Mana-chan? You're not still wondering about what I think of you as a hanyou, are you? Because I told you, it's a minor detail that I won't judge you for…"_

"_No…it's just that…I was thinking…when we become adults we won't always be able to spend time together like this, carefree and all…it's moments like this that I wonder how long we'll be able to spend time together before the harsh reality of adulthood rips us apart and scatters us endlessly." _

_She didn't expect for Naruto to reach up and pull her down making her lie on the ground beside him. _

"_Baka, Mana-chan…" He turned away from her, quietly muttering, "you think too much…"_

_Mana redirected her gaze from his back to the sky once again. 'Maybe I do think too much…' She thought. 'Then again…Naruto was one to act first and think later…most of the time.' _

"_Naruto?"_

"…"

"_Naruto?"_

"…"

_She heard soft snoring coming from him. Getting up and moving to the side he was facing, she plopped down and saw that he was indeed asleep. A smile crept over her face as she looked down at his peaceful and innocent facial expression. She noticed that drool was seeping from his mouth and knew exactly what he was dreaming about._

"_Ramen…" His muttering confirmed her suspicion. He was dreaming about ramen. She sighed. He'll never change. She lightly patted his strangely soft yet spiky hair._

"_Naruto…" She whispers under her breath. "…don't ever change." _

_She moved to lay beside him and let herself doze off, shooting stars cutting through the night sky. Smiles unconsciously formed on both their faces. _

* * *

"_Don't leave yet!" Mana called out as she ran to the World Tree's base, in her school uniform. Naruto stood at the base looking up at the magnificent tree that seemed to be the stronghold and strength of Mahora. He always wondered how many decades it took for this tree to have grown this massive. He was carrying a small pack on his back. His guns stashed in a place that he could easily reach if need be. His head turned to the sound of her footsteps._

"_Ara? Mana-chan?" _

_She marched up to him and poked his chest with her finger. "Don't you 'Mana-chan' me… why didn't you tell me when you were leaving? I only found out when I stopped by a few minutes ago, I thought that you had left already…" _

"_I didn't tell you?" Naruto scratched his head in confusion. "Hm…I must have forgotten." _

_Mana continued to glare at him. "Why. Didn't. You. Tell. Me." _

"_Er…I didn't want to wake you from your beauty sleep and so I was going to tell you during class but then I thought about it and I didn't want to interrupt Takamichi's class during his lecture." He ended sheepishly, hoping that she would buy it._

_He started to sweat bullets as she had taken the guns he bought her in less then a second and pointed it at him. _

'_Damn, I shouldn't have taught her that…' _

"_Think rationally, Mana-chan! If you shoot me, how will I complete the mission the Dean gave me?" It seemed to work as she lowered her weapon. She stowed it a minute later._

"…_you're right." He wiped the sweat off his brow though he was disturbed by his smirk. "I'll shoot you after you come back from the mission." That time, Naruto cried-I mean sweated from his eyes._

"…_how long will you be gone?" She asked him calmly._

_Naruto shrugged. "A week or so or a month tops, I guess..." _

"_I see…" She regarded. "And what exactly is this mission?" _

_Naruto held a finger to his lips. "That…is strictly confidential…by order of the Dean of course." He finished quickly, seeing her about to pull out her guns once more. _

_He stepped alarmingly close to her and enveloped her into a hug before she could respond. Her head was against his chest as he rested his head on her head, taking a whiff of her hair, which smelled of mangos he noted. Mana eyes had enlarged greatly when he pulled her into an unexpected hug, but she stayed still enjoying the moment as they stood there. Only moments later did she return his hug. _

"_I'll miss you, Mana-chan…" He said softly._

"_Baka…" Mana insulted as she looked up to him. Brown eyes met blue eyes. "You'll only be gone for at most a month, it's not like you won't see me again for a really long time."_

"_Yeah…" Naruto answered uneasily though she didn't seem to notice. He broke the hug, silently wishing he hadn't. _

_He started to walk toward the station. He looked back and waved. She waved back as she watched him disappear in the crowd. _

_She turned and made her way back to her dorm, wondering what she should do without his presence for the next few weeks. _

_Unknown to her, Naruto stood hidden as he watched her leave having sneaked back to watch her leave._

"…_sorry…Mana-chan…" _

* * *

_Mana opened the room to her dorm room as she threw her bag on the ground and placed her keys on her desk. She had homework that needed to be done from Takahata-sensei. _

_A few hours passed with her doing her homework, writing some reports, and taking a nice shower before it was time that she hit the sack. She changed into her usual nightgown and yawned as she moved to her bed. She noticed something was under her covers. Throwing them off she saw a golden box. She picked up the box carefully, wondering if it was a joke._

_She opened it and marveled at a beautifully crafted gun. It was a metallic, silver gun that was larger then her normal sized handguns, a chain attached to the bottom of the handle. It had the picture of a rose and the words 'Bloody Rose' on it. A note was attached to it._

_It read; _

'_You don't think I'd leave you empty handed, right? I had to get you a goodbye gift for this mission because…well…you are my precious Mana! _

_Hope to get back soon,_

_Naruto_

_PS-Remember that no matter where we are, we will always be looking at the same sky, so when you're missing me, look up to the sky and I'll be right next to you.'_

_She smirked at the note. Holding the gun in her hand. It made her feel…secure. She put it on her desk and slipped under her covers. Closing her eyes the last thing she muttered was,_

"_Goodnight…Naruto."_

* * *

She hastily sat up, panting. Cool sweat glistened on her tanned skin as she sat still. Another dream about her time with _him_. Damn… Glancing at her clock, she noticed that it was almost time to meet up with her class for the Kyoto trip. Sighing in irritation, she got off her bed and changed for into her school uniform.

She swept her hazelnut eyes across her dorm room. She was currently rooming alone, allowing her to do her work in peace without classmates snooping. She grabbed her guns and placed them in her gun holster underneath her skirt. One could never be too prepared. Her eyes fell on the golden box that lay near her bedside table.

"I'm going to be late for the Kyoto trip." Mana muttered in recognition as she grabbed the box and stuffed it in her duffel bag and rushed out of her room, bringing the other bags of clothes…and weapons.

* * *

"Good morning, Mana-san!" She heard Makie greet her as she stood next to her group for the majority of the trip. Her group, Group 4, consisted of Makie, Yuna, Ako, and Akira. She followed in last of her group when Negi-sensei had arrived and it was time to board the bullet train.

She took a seat at a two seater, next to the window. Akira was sitting at her right, talking animatedly with Yuna who sat directly across the aisle.

"Alright!" Came Negi's voice. "It is about time that the 15th annual field trip is launched!"

Everyone cheered.

"We also would like to express some safety concerns. Seeing as none of us want any of you hurt or injured, please be careful!" Negi exclaimed though it was short-lived as he was run over by a lunch cart.

Mana chuckled at her young teacher who was picking himself up. Sometimes, he reminded her so much of Naruto. She rested her elbows on the armrest as she stared out at the vast moving scene outside the train window.

It had been nearly two years since he had gone on his mission, and no word ever since. He said he would only be gone for a few weeks but two years now, she did not learn anything of his whereabouts. She feared that he may have died, but…he was Naruto, he can't die…right? When she asked the Dean he would always find a way to get out of answering. Darn Dean.

Deep down inside, she knew he was still out there somewhere but she couldn't help her mind from thinking that he was actually dead and that was why he didn't come back to Mahora…come back to her. The thought he might have been killed made her stomach tighten. She opted to relaxing and keeping her morbid thoughts off of Naruto by lying her head against the seat and drifting to sleep, hoping a nap will revitalize her and keep her from thinking too much. She hoped that they would arrive in Kyoto soon.

* * *

Mana raised an eyebrow at her inn room. She looked left and right and noticed that her group mates for the trip were all lying unconscious on their respective futons. A fact she knew was because of someone spiking the marriage waterfall at the shrine with sake.

She sighed as she unpacked her bags as her friends lie wasted. She sweat dropped at her classmates low alcohol tolerance. She took out her clothes and changed out of her uniform and into her night clothes. As she prepared to go to bed, her eyes lingered to the gold box she put over her bag.

Mana took it and held it close to her as she sat at the chairs near the window looking out to the streets and night sky. She hugged it to herself, caressing it all the while. His words resonated loud and clear in her head.

'_Remember that no matter where we are, we will always be looking at the same sky, so when you're missing me, look up to the sky and I'll be right next to you.' _

She stared at the full moon, her eyes glistening as she whispered,

"Naruto…you liar…" The distant sound of a raven cawing would be heard through the silent night.

* * *

"Here is your pay, sir." The older man stated as he handed over the large envelope to the grinning blonde. He took it and weighed it on his hands. He nodded and made his exit.

"Sir!"

He turned. "Yes?"

"If I may, how did you complete the mission so early? It would have usually taken another person longer."

The blonde smirked. "Because, I'm one hell of a gunman…" He exited the bounty office and into the cold night.

* * *

"When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end, the goddess descends from the sky…

Wings of light and dark spread afar, she guides us to bliss, her gift…everlasting." A soft, masculine voice spoke into the dark.

Standing atop a branch of the World Tree, the blonde stared out to the moon. Two years…two years he had left her…alone…because of a mission. He felt horrible for doing it…but he had a promise to keep. He shook his head as he continued to look at the waning moon.

His blonde hair flowing with the breeze, he wore a jacket that was divided into a black and white side. It was unzipped revealing a red shirt underneath. His pants were inverted to his jacket, also black and white, and one pant leg was shorter than the other, giving him an exotic look.

"Hopefully, she won't maim me the moment she sees me." He looked at the watch on his wrist. "It's late…I'll see her tomorrow."

Staring up one last time, he moved toward the shrine where he resided two years ago.

"Though we are apart…we will always share the same sky…Mana." He spoke, opening the door to his room. "Hopefully you remembered that…"

Watch out Mahora…

Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze has returned…

* * *

**Finally done! Ha, Naruto is back from his mystery mission, but Mana is on her Kyoto trip! How will they be reunited? How will Mana react? Kill him most likely. So yeah, finding out that Mana is a half-demon, demon folk kinda messed me up but hopefully my scences don't make her too OOC, if she is then well…it's my story, hahaha! **

**Once again thank you to ADK-A Dragon Knight and Vladimer for your help. I loved the newest chapter of Asha'man of Fire! You rock dude! And so did the chapter! Thanks to all those who read, reviewed, alerted, faved my other Naruto/Negima story too! I love you all. **

**Also, cookies to whoever can tell me where I got the quotes Naruto said in the beginning of the final scene! I also want to ask you all a very important question… who is your favorite Negima girl? Leave it in you reviews please! My fave is a tie between Mana and Kaede! I do love Chao though, she needs some loving! And also I have been watching Kuroshitsuji so that is really good. I love Sebastian's "Because I'm one hell of a butler." . A quote from Kuroshitsuji and KH. **

**Note: in the fic I said Mana and Naruto are 14, but I think that they are technically 15 so two years so Mana and Naruto are about 16 turning 17 or just 17 years old. I believe that Mana is older than the other girls because of the pactio thing and also because it fits better with the story if she was. **

**So leave me a review and hopefully I'll be updating Lux Aeterna, Paladin of Mahora, and Dreaming Wide Awake soon! This chapter was mainly flashbacks and it was kinda corny…and lame…so yeah…peace out!**

**Redflash's Legacy**


	2. Dreams

**Yo, peeps. It's me again. Argh, school and projects…shit. But I'm trying to update this so yeah….. **

**Looking at a few pennames I was wondering why you chose the name, like for instance my name 'Redflash's Legacy'. I chose this name because I like the Yellow Flash and I was thinking of his legacy, cough Naruto cough, but I liked red better than yellow so I subbed it in and viola! Redflash's Legacy! If you're bored, tell me why you chose your name, was it just a random name or was it an existing thing? Oh, my penname is also my e-mail address too.**

**School work and projects and crud are piling up… I feel your pain Vladimer! I shall wait patiently until you update, be it at the end of time or whatever! Good luck to thee in thy quest to conquer any man and woman's enemy! Homework and/or work! **

**One random occurrence when I was getting e-mails about alerts, faves and reviews was that I was totally ecstatic when other Naruto/Negima authors were watching and reading my fic! Especially Asha'man of Fire, sunwraith, weixuan18, and Vladimer! Yeah, you might think that I am totally weird after reading this but…**

**Anyway! On to the story!**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, still don't own anything.**

* * *

**Dreaming Wide Awake**

**Chapter 2: Dreams**

* * *

"_So…" Naruto started slowly. "She's in Kyoto. Right now." _

_He was standing across the desk of the dean of Mahora Campus. Old Man Konoe. He was nodding his head. _

"_That is correct, Naruto-kun…Her teacher had specifically asked for the class to take a well deserved trip to Kyoto."_

_Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of all the days, Takamichi chooses now to have the girls go on a field trip? When I get my hands on him…"_

"_Get your hands on who, Naruto-kun?" A voice said from behind him. _

_Naruto glanced back before continuing to rant. "Oh, hi, Takamichi. As I was saying, when I get my hands on Tak-" He whipped his head around again. "Takamichi?…If you're here then who's with Mana and her class?" _

_The dean coughed into his hands. "Allow me to explain, Naruto-kun…"_

* * *

A ten year old teacher/mage in training was in charge of a class of rowdy girls on a trip to Kyoto. And he had to get an important letter to the head of another magic association there and there were bad people who would be looking to prevent it and possibly try to kidnap a certain dean's granddaughter all the while…great…just great. He knew that he was getting involved one way or another. And he was right when the Dean had told him to go to Kyoto as a back up and see to it that they return safely before the Dean would give him some other assignment or job. He thought about what the Dean had said during their meeting. He said:

"_Mana-kun isn't the only one who can take out demons if the situation called for it…" _

That very thought made him shiver. This ten year old has his career cut out for him if he's teaching a class of mostly magically aware students.

"Better get going…" He boarded the train and got a seat. He leaned against the window. "I wonder if Mana is mad?"

An ominous feeling made him shiver.

* * *

"This is dull." Naruto complained as he stood on the rooftops of the Kyoto buildings. He had arrived in Kyoto a day ago and had checked himself into a different inn. He had tailed the class of 3-A and their teacher Negi Springfield for the majority of the day. Strangely, none of the girls saw or noticed him.

He sighed as he saw Mana enter a shrine. Same old Mana. Watching her from afar brought his thoughts to the past two years he spent in the magical world. He had a promise to fulfill for a certain person and he had to resolve other certain problems that caused his two year absence. Though looking back now, he only told Mana that he would return soon. He never _promised_ it.

It brought back memories of his childhood being back in the magical world again. He thought back on his time with Daisuke-sensei and looked back toward Mana's location. Maybe, just maybe…

Naruto sighed as rested his hand on his cheek.

"Ripples form on the water's surface…the wandering soul knows no rest, eh, sensei?" Naruto whispered, his eyes half-lidded as he stared out into the distance. He noticed that the groups seemed to moving and so he too made his move. But before disappearing into the shadows, his last words echoed through the air and was carried on by the wind.

"But…there is no hate…only joy…"

* * *

"But…there is no hate…only joy…"

Mana's head whipped around as she heard those words. It was barely a whisper, but she caught it. Her eyes moved to the roofs of the surrounding buildings. That voice… it sounded so familiar.

'I could've sworn that it was coming from up there…' She thought to herself. She hesitated before turning around and following after her classmates. Following her teacher and classmates her eyes would dart all around to find the source of the voice. She couldn't find it.

"There is no hate, only joy." Mana repeated softly as to not alert her classmates. "Now, where have I heard that before?"

* * *

Naruto stepped out of the shadows. "…Maybe I should stop talking to myself…nah."

"Hm…I guess that I should continue to tail them, or maybe-" He stopped as he stared into the window of a certain store.

"Oh my…what beauty…" He ran into the store and left a trail of dust behind him.

His hands feeling the softness underneath. "Such coarse, black hair…so soft…so soft…" His voice trailed off.

"Um, sir?" Naruto heard behind him. He turned and saw a store clerk.

"May I ask what you are doing?" He asked Naruto. It was rather odd seeing someone rushing into the pet store and grabbing hold of one of your finest species of cats and cuddling it and murmuring random things.

Naruto continued to pet the small creature before sheepishly answering. "Ah…I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist…she is such a lovely thing." He held the black colored cat by its front legs.

"I see, sir. Would you like to purchase her?"

Naruto sighed as he placed her back onto her scratching post. "I'm afraid I cannot right now. Maybe later…so do keep her under good care." He walked to the door before pausing.

"Sorry about the sudden intrusion."

"No problem, sir, this is a store."

"Indeed…"

* * *

"Now where are they?" Naruto asked himself. After spending the past few hours walking aimlessly in the park since his charges were having dinner and doing whatever they would do in their hotel rooms, he was creeping up slowly to the inn. That was not the problem.

The problem was that he could hear several strange and loud noises coming from the inn. And because he was as sharp as a tack, he knew something was up. Already on the roofs, he snuck a look in to the lobby to see the Negi kid saying something before being tripped by a short girl sipping a juice box into a different girl who was blushing in front of him. Their lips met before they broke apart.

Naruto's mouth formed a smile. "Ah…young love." It was short lived when Nitsuta (Nitta?) had caught them and a bunch of other girls who were out of bed playing some game or something from Naruto's limited skill to somewhat read lips. He laughed as Nitsuta forced them to sit seiza style in the lobby. He also happened to notice that Mana was not among them.

"That looked fun…I wish I could've joined, but now's not the time to reveal myself…" He pulled the hood of his jacket over his head which conveniently hid most of his face because of the shadow it formed. He silently slipped away to patrol the night.

* * *

"The moon's beauty outshines all others…Even as it wanes it will begin a new cycle and be reborn amidst the darkness to once again shed light upon the dark." Naruto contemplated as he stared at the waning moon. He stood on the roof of a building as he watched the inn. "Hm, it's almost similar to a phoenix."

Nights like these reminded him of the night that he came upon Mana and a dead Daisuke. Maybe, just maybe if he were fast enough, he could've saved him. There was always a little voice in his head that told him that he could avenge Daisuke by killing the ones who sent the monsters there, but he understood that revenge was not the answer. The voice did have a point because it was rather fishy that other high leveled demons _happened_ to be strolling by and attacked the two when they were exterminating other demons.

His thoughts cut short as he dashed away from his location. A freshly fired bullet hole remained where he stood. Luckily his hood was still on, so his assailant didn't know who he was. He stared to another building and noticed a familiar figure holding a rifle. He smirked. _Mana-chan…_

"Who are you and why are you snooping around here?" Mana demanded.

Hearing her voice again was like sweet nectar to his ears. 'Time to play the part.' He thought.

"Oh? And who are you? Kyoto's guard dog?" Naruto spoke, thankfully she didn't seem to recognize his voice.

Her answer was to fire warning shots at his feet. His smirk only enlarged as he walked toward her. He extended his hands and two hidden blades shot out from within his vambraces under his sleeves.

'Let's see how much you've grown, Mana-chan.' He thought as he ran toward her, aiming mainly for her arms and legs.

She took out two familiar black guns and deflected his blade with the barrel. Steel met steel as their weapons clashed. He felt her hand sliding up to try and remove his hood but he swiftly jumped back.

She didn't leave him time to recover as she fired shot after shot. Performing a back flip into the air, Naruto ran up the side of another adjacent building and used his momentum to push off and poised his blades to strike. Seeing the impending danger, she shoulder rolled out of the way as his blade met the roof top.

Naruto commended her on her quick thinking, most people would be too surprised seeing a man with blades flying at you to react. He moved to get up and continue their battle but…his right blade was stuck in the tiles of the roof.

"…shit."

Mana happened to notice his dilemma and started shooting at him again. It was an amusing sight though the two were battle seeing as the hooded Naruto's body and feet were flailing and jumping about trying to avoid the bullets. It almost looked like some odd dance.

"Hmph, you have no where else to run or dodge now." She moved closed and cocked her gun, preparing to fire the finishing blow.

Before she could, he pressed his right hand against the roof though his blade was still embedded, and supported his body up with the help of his left hand too and kicked the guns away from Mana's grasp and kicked her in the head. His legs held her in a lock and flipped her over. Her back caused a loud smack to be heard and he knew she was knocked out from the kick to the head and would stay like that for a while. His legs let go and he used them as leverage to get the blade out.

He made the blades retract before flexing his hand, saying, "Man, I've got to reconsider using that aerial technique…" He looked to Mana's prone form. "Well, I better get her inside." Bending over, Naruto retrieved her guns.

He took off his hood and his face felt the cold sting of the night as he picked Mana up bridal style and held her in his arms and made his way off the roof and toward the inn and to the lobby. He rethought the idea since that was where the kids were sitting seiza style and would probably be woken up if he briskly walked by. If memory served him correct, the ones she was in a group with and most likely shares a room with are in the lobby, so it was safe to enter the room…via window.

And through the window he went, unlocked of course. Naruto gently placed her in the futon. He check her head for bruises or bumps from his kick but he found none because he only aimed to knock her out.

He moved his hand and soothingly caressed her cheeks. Though unconscious she turned her head and moved into his hands even more. She felt so warm in contrast to his chilled hands. He retracted his hands and took out her guns. Slipping them under the pillow her head rested on because he knew for a fact that she slept with them there in case of emergencies, his eyes landed on a certain golden case.

"After these two years, she still kept the case."

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the clock, the time signaled his time to depart. He looked at Mana again. His eyes relaxed as he leaned over her and placed a warm, soft kiss on her forehead.

He walked to the window and replaced his hood. He looked back.

"See you, Mana-chan." He let go and descended down.

* * *

After he left, Mana started to toss and turn as dreams of Naruto assaulted her mind.

_She was standing in a meadow with a large Sakura tree in the distance. Turning in a circle to take in her surroundings, she noticed a person beckoning to her. Her eyes widened as the features of the figure set in. __Naruto__… _

_She ran toward him. As she got closer, he had one hand extended out, expecting her to catch his hand. She reached out to him but as she touched his hand, he became a wisp of white smoke. It slipped through her fingers and started to disperse, seemingly taking her heart with it. _

_She shielded her eyes as the meadow started to disappear. It was replaced with a land full of darkness. No light, no hope. She picked up some kind of movement and sure enough, she saw Naruto's back as he ran past her. He was surrounded by an eerie white aura that contradicted the dark. Her legs pushed off after him and he seemed to get further and further away, the darkness swallowing him up. _

_Her foot caught on something and she fell to the floor. Her outstretched hand fell helplessly as she realized that he was no longer there. Mana rolled on her back as she closed her eyes. She lie in the everlasting darkness until she felt something on her hand._

_Her eyes opened slowly because of the stream of light she felt hitting her eyelids. She realized that she was no longer in the place of darkness but she was lying on a beach. The sun was setting and streaks of orange highlighted the skies, its warmth enveloped her. What surprised her the most was that the one she was chasing in the darkness was lying right beside her. His eyes were closed, his face looking peaceful and his hands were on top of hers. Her eyes traced over the details on his face. _

_She returned her gaze to the skies and a single thought went through her mind. 'Please…Let this be real.' _

_It was just so…surreal. Mana's eyes closed as she and Naruto lay on the beach, hoping that this wasn't a dream and that they were reunited again. _

_It all came to a sudden end as she felt her body falling and going further down. Eyes half open, she saw that she had fallen through the water. Her body felt weightless as she sank down. A black platform could be seen about to meet her in her fall. She felt her body rotate as her feet safely touched the platform. _

_Her eyes fully open, her hazel eyes swept the scene but all she could see was darkness, like before. Suddenly, she felt the platform beneath her change, her hands flew up to her face as light erupted from the platform and doves flew from the bright source of light. Her hands fell to her side as she saw the beautiful sight of a thousand doves circled about, so full of grace. _

"_Mana-chan!" She heard. Her body turned as she looked behind her._

_And truly, amidst the doves, she noticed that Naruto stood there, his arms wide open, this time he was fully awake and didn't seem to be looking like he would leave. Mana shot toward him, the doves that rested in her path, flew abruptly away to avoid being trampled. _

_She jumped into his embrace. The feeling of his strong, warm arms holding her protectively made her feel secure. Her arms clutched him desperately. She wasn't going to let him go again. If the first three times he left, she made sure of one thing here: She wouldn't let him leave her again. _

_She peered at his face again. This time she lifted her hand to his face. Her fingers trailing over every detail of his face that she had observed before and committed them to her memory. He smiled at her. _

_Her hands moved away from his face and she gazed at him at his cerulean eyes that she always thought of, dreamt of, her eyes finally landing on his lips. She didn't know why but they seemed to entice her and draw her in. _

_Mana inched toward him as he too leaned in. She slowly closed her eyes, their lips were mere centimeters apart. She could feel his hot breath on her lips. She longed to feel him, to hold him…to call him hers. _

_She could almost feel his lips on h-_

"Mana-san! Wakey wakey!" She heard her classmate's voice as she was flung back into reality.

She growled and rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she glared at her group mates. They went down to eat first as they left her to change. Grabbing her clothes for the day she went into the bathroom and started to discard her clothes. Turning on the shower she stepped in as the hot water sprayed her. She stood still as the water ran over her body. Her mind replaying the dream she had.

Why did she have that dream? They say that dreams are the flowers that bloom in your heart, but could this be how she truly felt about him deep in her heart? If that was true, then why now? Why now when he was…gone. Was her subconscious sending her messages to mock her about what could have been if she had told him to say. Why was she so stupid to let him go?

Mana gasped as she recalled that day. Something was off by the way he looked at her, hugged her and told her goodbye. The sight of his eyes as they tried to give her a silent message. How could she have been so foolish not to notice?

She felt anger swell in her for not seeing it and toward the Dean. He _knew._ When she got back, the Dean would get a piece of her mind, she would make sure of that. Finishing her shower, she slowly wiped herself off and got dressed. Her anger had not subsided as she went to make her futon. She ended up grabbing the pillow, tearing it and throwing it at the wall. A slight gleam caught her eye.

Her guns were laying where her pillow originally was.

"How did they…?" The events of last night caught up to her as she finally noticed a slight pain in the back of her head. The way the man moved seemed very familiar to her. He also seemed to have no malice as he stood watch over the inn. Rubbing her head, she grabbed her guns, wanting to let off some steam and placed them in her disguise guitar case. After breakfast of course and contemplating the dream again.

"I swore I saw Naruto standing over me last night." Mana muttered as she walked out.

* * *

Mana silently ate her breakfast as her classmates were making a fuss with Nodoka-san about her pactio card from last night. She paused as she still thought about her dream. Did she like him? Of course. Did she think of him as something more? She didn't know. She shook her head trying to shake the thoughts away, he wasn't here anymore, so there's no point in thinking about it. She let out a sigh of frustration as she continued to think about it. The answers to her questions only served to make her more confused.

"What's wrong Mana-san?" Mana looked up to she Konoka Konoe looking at her in worry. Setsuna Sakurazaki stood next to her.

"It is nothing, Konoe-dono." Mana stated simply as she sipped her tea.

"…Are you having boy troubles, Mana-san?" Konoka giggled as Mana spit out her tea.

Wiping her mouth, Mana paused before answering, "No, Konoe-dono." 'I'm only having dreams of nearly kissing a guy I don't, maybe, kind of like who is no longer here.' She thought.

"Oh, so you _are_ having boy troubles." Konoka smiled as she sat down and grabbed Mana's hands to do palm reading, Mana glared at her.

"Tatsumiya-san is having boy troubles…?" She heard Setsuna whisper to herself. She threw a glare at her as Setsuna scratched her head.

"Did I say that out loud?" Mana's glare answered her.

Konoka inspected Mana's hand closely.

"Hm…your palm tells me that you having been having vivid dreams about the memories of you and a boy you knew for a while, correct?" Konoka asked her. Seeing no point in lying, Mana hesitantly nodded.

"And…you had an actual dream about him…and you, together last night, right?" She asked again. This time Mana looked at her in shock and surprise as she nailed it.

"Ara, Mana-san, but that isn't the problem is it?" Konoka wagged her finger as she leaned in closer. "The problem is that he left didn't he?"

Mana looked to the ceiling. She stood up from the table. "I seem to have lost my appetite. I bid you good day, Konoe-dono, Sakurazaki-san." Mana bowed to them as she left.

Konoka didn't seem to be bothered as Setsuna tried to call for her to come back. "T-Tatsumiya-san!"

Instead, Konoka stood and ran after Mana, Setsuna stood there in confusion. Konoka laid a hand on Mana, who stopped.

"Hold on, Mana-san. There is one final thing I want to mention."

"I do not mean any form of disrespect, Konoe-dono, but I do not want to discuss this matter any longer." She just felt that it was too painful to hear this, especially from another person.

The girl in front of her only offered a look that told of only good news.

"Please hear me out, Tatsumiya-san…"

Mana sighed in defeat as she stood still, signaling that she was waiting to hear what she had to say.

She beamed as she took hold of Mana's hand.

"That boy in your dreams…he's still out there somewhere, waiting for you. He's not dead like you think." With that she walked off with Setsuna in tow.

Mana stood there passive on the outside but completely dumbstruck on the inside. How could she have known such a thing? How could she have known about her dreams and thoughts?

She stood there for a good while, thinking about Konoka's words.

* * *

"Kono-chan…"

"Hm, Se-chan?"

"How did you know about…all the things you said to Tatsumiya-san?"

Konoka put a finger to her chin and looked thoughtful for a moment. "I honestly don't know, Se-chan. I admit that I saw her look a bit more off than usual, but something told me to talk to her and when I did, it was like I could read her like a book…"

Setsuna looked at her as she provided the explanation. 'Could this be Kono-chan's power manifesting itself in another form?' She thought to herself.

Konoka's eyes lit up. "Oh! There's Asuna and the rest!" She dragged Setsuna with her, who was blushing at the sudden contact.

She waved her hands. "Hey, Asuna!" Asuna looked surprised as she looked to Setsuna who was crying anime tears.

"I'm sorry, Asuna, I couldn't leave her." She whispered.

"Well, I can't seem to shake off these guys either." Asuna answered back as she pointed behind her to the other girls. And so went their (canon) adventure.

* * *

A certain blonde was standing in an auto shop as he watched his motorcycle getting a tune up. Hey, there was an auto shop nearby so he would be crazy not to stop in.

He stood against the wall. He had quite an interesting dream this morning, after dozing off. He had a dream about Mana and him, about them and what they could have been. It was so unreal, which it was, but he wanted to live in that moment forever, next to her. But sadly when he opened his eyes, he realized that it was just a dream. A sick, mocking dream.

He chose to change the subject of his thoughts as he felt a strange disturbance in the air.

Something big was going to happen. And it was going to happen tonight.

* * *

Sweat rolled off her skin, as she shot bullet after bullet at an unsuspecting tree in a secluded forest somewhere.

Konoka's words rang loud and clear in her head.

"_That boy in your dreams…he's still out there somewhere, waiting for you. He's not dead like you think."_

If that was true then she was somewhat relieved but it also made her even more angry. If he was alive then where was he for the last 2 years? Shooting the crud out of the trees was a great way of blowing off steam. If only making her slightly less angry.

She lowered the gun and took out a new magazine. Replacing the old magazine with the new one she continued her shooting rampage. After ten minutes, the tree finally collapsed from the rapid abuse. Mana huffed and turned to another tree and continued to blow off steam.

She kept going at it until virtually all the trees were littered with holes and half of them had ripped in two. Maybe she was the reason that the planets was becoming polluted. Catching her breath, she sat down and leaned against a tree that was still standing. She was less angry now, so now was the time to rest and think.

She had actually been thinking about these things for awhile now but they seemed to come back stronger each time her thoughts turned to him. They were just thoughts, right? And here she was, making a big deal out of it because someone told her something that was most likely false. Over the span of her life, she knew that most things people say could not be trusted.

Maybe. Maybe the reason that she wants to believed Konoka is because deep down…she longed for it to be true, even if it may not be true. And she was being foolish now. And that would lead to certain death in her line of duty.

"I'm being stupid." Mana grumbled. She kept telling herself that he was gone and nothing could bring him back, that's why he never sent word back. She began to nod off.

* * *

_Mana opened her eyes to see herself in the same position before in her dream. In Naruto's arms, but this time they just stood there wrapped around each other as time froze. His chin rested on her head as she pressed he head against his chest._

"_Was before a dream? Or…is this a dream?…I can't seem to tell fantasy from reality anymore…but I want to believe that this moment is…real."_

_She felt him move his jaw as he spoke something incoherent. She looked up at him. He was uttering words that she could not understand. When he finished mouthing things to her, he smiled and started to glow. He started to turn into specks of light, slipping threw her fingers. It circled her as she followed it with her gaze. The scene re-transformed to the beach from before. The ball of light was still in front of her before it combusted and burst. She held her hands out as she felt the drops of light landed on her hands. They were full of warmth, like he was. Her thoughts interrupted by a sudden voice._

"_**It's time for you to wake up."**_

* * *

The sun had started to set before Mana had realized that she had been asleep for a while. She sat up and ran a hand through her ebony hair.

"What was that dream?"

"And…what was that voice?" She looked to the horizon for the answer, but all she got back was cold silence.

She took her time as she walked back to the inn, her guitar case slung over her shoulder. She walked in to the lobby to see that her group mates, whom she ditched, was also walking in. Perfect. She continued to walk as the class president, Ayaka Yukihiro, scolded them for being late. Noticing Kaede Nagase, her ninja rival, was on the phone with someone, she walked to where she and Ku Fei were.

"-you need us to pull your butts from the fire. Am I right, Baka Leader?" She heard Kaede say to whoever was on the other end of the phone.

It sounded urgent, so Mana asked, "What's up, Kaede?"

To her side, Ku Fei had a finger to her mouth as she wore a puzzled expression. "Aru?"

* * *

"It costs that much for a tune up?" Naruto mumbled and grumbled to himself as he held the receipt up from the auto shop. The sun had already set and the sky was colored black as night began to fall. He remembered the first time ever getting on a motorcycle, or any kind of machine for that matter. He smiled as he remembered how he used to think cars were metal monsters bent on eating everything in its path. He crumpled up the paper and threw it over his back.

"Now…" Naruto tapped his chin. "Where to next?…"

There was a burst of demonic energy coming from far north. He wasted no time as he mounted his motorcycle, started it up and accelerated toward the source. Time for some epic demon ass-whooping.

* * *

"It's not like you to have such a hard time of it…" Asuna and Setsuna looked shocked as they saw Mana and Ku Fei stepping out. Mana was holding a rifle and Ku Fei…looked surprisingly happy.

"T-Tatsumiya-san!"

Mana smirked. "I'll put this on your tab, Setsuna. Now go save Konoe-dono and Negi-sensei, we got this…" The stood there speechless.

Mana got down low and shot several bullets at the gathered demons. They answered by closing the distance between them. Ku Fei took up a stance as Mana stood calmly.

"Your rifle's no good at close range." One of the demons said.

Mana's smirk widened as she kicked the guitar case at her feet. It opened and two shining, black guns shot up. She caught it gracefully as her hands blurred, bullets raining on the unsuspecting demons.

Many demons fell by her hand as she paused, gunpowder and smoke covering the field. She turned to Ku Fei.

"Ku, I just need you to handle the weak ones, okay?"

"Oh! You mock me!" Ku started. "Do not underestimate the power of Chinese martial arts!" Ku stated as demons crept up on her. She did a 180 and started to beat them all up.

"Is no one left for fighting?" Ku Fei asked as she grinned at the fallen monsters.

Mana held the smirk on her face as she said, "Don't get cocky, kid." The last part she said a bit quietly. A moment of silence as a roar echoed through the air.

Mana, Ku, Setsuna, Asuna, and the other demons looked up to see a pillar of light and a large demon-like being materializing into existence. Mana's eyes narrowed. She shot a few more demons and looked to see that Setsuna and Asuna was still here.

"Setsuna, Kagurazaka-san! Go save them! I told you we got this!" Mana hollered to them. Setsuna looked uncertain but a slight incline of the head from Mana told her that she could leave the monsters in their hands.

Setsuna nodded back and rushed. "Thank you! C'mon, Asuna-san!" They took off. Mana was able to see that someone was about to pursue them so she shot at the blurring figure. She heard the bullets being deflected and when the smoke cleared she saw a girl dressed in a frilly dress holding a katana and a kodachi.

"Aw…Sempai got away." The girl Tsukuyomi said before turning back to Mana and Ku Fei. "Shinmei style can't be countered with projectile weapons…"

"I know…" Mana stated as the other demons charged. Tsukuyomi stayed put. Ku and Mana fought off the demons, each handling their own large numbers of demons. They fought them off before Tsukuyomi decided to strike.

"Mana-san!" Ku Fei exclaimed.

Mana lifted her head to see Tsukuyomi hovering above her, her blades poised to strike. Mana tried to get her gun up in time, but before she could, she saw Tsukuyomi move back and block the bullets that were sent at her from above.

Mana raised her head. The same figure from before was standing at the top one of the taller trees. Even from the distance, she could see one of his hands moving to his other hand where gun smoke was coming out of and flipping a switch of sorts.

"Hm?" Tsukuyomi pondered as she saw the strange figure. Even the other demons paused to see what had happened.

The figure kicked off the tree and leaped, spreading his arms like an eagle. As he got closer to the ground he thrust his left hand toward Tsukuyomi, a blade protruding from his sleeve. She deflected the blade as he made contact with her.

They jumped away from each other. A leaf fell from a tree and the moment it hit the ground, they strike at each other. The others around them continued their fight. They blocked each others strikes with precision and evaded all attempts of attack. His wrist blade against her dual blades. They held each other in a lock as Tsukuyomi smiled.

"You are strong, Hoody-san. I've also never met anyone who used a hidden blade before and it seems that we're evenly matched."

Naruto grinned under his hood. "Thank you." He replied. "But…we're not quite evenly matched."

A sudden gash appeared on Tsukuyomi's arm. They let go. Her hand went to her other arm as she felt the warm blood seeping through her clothes and hand.

"How?"

Naruto held up his right hand to show her his other hidden blade, which was covered in blood. Her blood.

"Ah…so you had another hidden blade…Well, let's keep going."

They continued their fight, landing blows here and there once in a while. Mana and Ku were subduing the surrounding demons. All of them went at it for what seemed like hours that could have been just minutes. A large explosion was heard and the pillar of light dispersed. All battles ceased as the breaking of the pillar signified the end of the battle.

There were only a few demons left from the horde of 150 at the beginning. Mana and Ku only suffered a few cuts and their clothes were slightly torn. Naruto suffered only a wound on his side and minor cut on his cheek though it was not noticeable since his hood was still intact, his jacket had a few cuts and tears here and there. Tsukuyomi's dress was ripped from most of the waist down. She held the gash on her arm.

"Seems it's finally over…" One of the demon who's arm was missing said. "Your win, guys. You want we should keep going?"

Mana offered a slight smile as she held her gun up in truce. "We're only hired guns, ourselves. If you all pull back, our job here is done."

"What about you, sword of Shinmei-Ryu?"

Tsukuyomi looked confused. "Well…I guess I'm done here…but I wished I could have fought with Sempai more." Her look of confusion turned to a look of content. "I think I'll go home, too." She looked to the hooded Naruto. "And Hoody-san, it was fun fighting you! Please send my regards to Setsuna-sempai."

She and the remaining demons started to leave. One of them saying to them,

"We really had a laugh, didn't we. Tell you what, next time the beer's on us."

"Hmph, sure, if we all weren't minors." Mana replied. 'Though I'm only about 3 years from being the legal age to drink…' She thought. Her eyes widened as she remembered about the hooded man who came to help. She looked around and saw that he was no longer there. Her hand went to the cut on her arm. For one moment when he had descended in front of her, his eyes looked just like Naruto's. She shook her head. 'Here I go again with this…'

"C'mon, Ku. Let's go see how the others faired."

* * *

"…his condition is critical."

This was the scene that she and Ku came upon. Negi-sensei was slowly being petrified by that Fate kid's spell. And it seemed like no one could do anything about it. Not even Evangeline. Mana looked into her small pouch to see if she had any potions. She didn't.

"Perhaps, I can help." They all turned to see a figure wearing a torn black and white jacket approaching them, his hood on his head. Most of them took up a defensive stance. Eva stood off to the side before her eyes became saucers.

"Y-You're!-"

The figure stopped her be placing a finger to his lips. "I mean you no harm. I…merely wish to help him." None of them budged. He sighed.

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small bottle filled with a bluish-purple substance. He put the bottle as close on the ground near them as he could before stepping away and creating distance and putting his hands up to show he truly meant no harm.

"It is a healing potion…" He explained. "If you use it, it'll both heal him and stop the petrification process…"

"…He's telling the truth." Eva stated as she crossed her arms. "That's the only thing here that can help the boya now…" She continued to assure them. "You can also tell that it's authentic because of the slight shimmer the liquid has…"

"It better be authentic…the guy who sold me it damn near hustled it from me." They heard the hooded man say. They all seemed to have agreed as Konoka wearily reached for it and brought it over to Negi.

Uncorking the bottle, she tipped it so the fluid flowed into Negi's mouth. He gulped it all down. The affect was immediate. The places of his body that had turned to stone were reverting back. They all held their breath before Negi slowly opened his eyes.

"Konoka-san? Everyone…you're alright." All the girls, excluding Eva, cheered because he was just fine now. Negi looked around at his friends before he looked at the man who was a few paces from the group.

"W-Who are you?" Negi asked as his hand inched toward his staff. Everyone else turned to him. He placed his hands down seeing as the potion did its work. Eva still stood passively as she waited for him to reveal his identity.

His hands moved up to his hood. He pulled it down in one swift motion to reveal his spiky blonde hair, his cerulean eyes, and the whisker marks on his cheeks.

"I…am Naruto Namikaze… Pleasure to meet you all." His gaze rested on Mana.

Mana gasped. It couldn't be… She walked toward him. Her hands, lightly shaking, as she touched his face. Was she dreaming all over again? Was this a repeat of what she had dreamed last night? He felt so real, but so did the dream before.

As if reading her thoughts, he put his hand over hers which was still moving over his face.

"This is real…I'm really back…Mana-chan"

The others who were observing the scene remained quiet, seeing that Mana had a past with whoever the young man was. They continued to watch silently.

Mana could feel real tears swelling in her eyes as she brought her hands up to embrace him. Like in her dream, she held onto him and she wouldn't let him go again. Naruto brought his hands up and held her protectively. Like the dream. The way they stood now, in each others arm made her feel complete once again. The fact that this was real made it all the better.

She buried her face into his shoulder as her surroundings seemed to melt away. She didn't care that the others were watching, all she cared about was that she was here, in his arms, that's all that mattered to her now. She felt the tears beginning to fall and seep into his jacket.

Tears of all the pain he caused her and tears of happiness that now he was back all came out as Naruto patted her on the back. He made soothing sounds as she continued to sob into his shoulder. They held each other as fresh sakura petals began to fall, the fragrance enveloping them like an illusion. The moon seemed to stop its orbit to watch over the two.

Naruto held her tighter when he felt her start to become overwhelmed. He was starting to tear up too as his suppressed feelings were coming out too. He slowly closed his eyes and prayed that when he opened his eyes again, that it wouldn't just be a dream. He smiled as he ran his hand through Mana's hair. Though there will be many hardships down the road…they can at least enjoy this moment right here.

A wolf can be heard, howling to the moon. Sending its own private message to the moon as the two remained still there. And they would stay like that for a while.

* * *

**Whoot! It is like 7 in the morning! I had to post this now! So yeah, Assassin's Creed and stuff. I forgot my train of thought and its almost time for me to leave for school, so forgive me if you see any mistakes! Oh! I almost forgot! My birthday is on November 18th, so remember to wish me a happy birthday if you want! Thank you! **

**Redflash's Legacy**


	3. Buried Secrets

**Hello folks. It is Red here again. Last chapter I asked you guys to tell me why you chose your penname and the replies were very amusing. I also had a great birthday and some people wrote happy birthday to me through reviews and PM's so I really appreciated that. Ah, yes. I also wanted to address and clarify a few themes and such about this story. Dreams will obviously be a major theme within the story hence the inclusion of the word in the title, though to tell you the truth, I only picked this name because it was a song from Poets of the Fall that I really enjoyed. Alas, darkness and light will also be a recurring theme. Some scenarios and things will resemble Kingdom Hearts because I really liked the idea put forth by Tetsuya Nomura. And also, before I forget, the heart will also be a theme. **

**Also note that I have put a poll on my profile in which you can also answer through your reviews. Here it is: Should this story have a happy ending, a sad ending, or would you like to be surprised? Haha, it won't really affect how the story ends, I just wanted to know if you were one to like happily ever afters or tragedies, so I repeat it most likely will not affect how the story ends. I am simply…curious. And for some reason, I want to see a NarutoxAsuna and/or a NarutoxChao story. :3**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Naruto and Negima.**

* * *

**Dreaming Wide Awake**

**Chapter 3: Buried Secrets**

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes as he felt Mana moving in his arms. Negi and his group were still standing off to the side, watching the scene unfold. Their embrace came to an abrupt halt as Mana pushed him away, her bangs covering her eyes. He looked confused as she raised her right hand. A loud smack was heard as she brought her hand across his face and slapped him.

He held his hand up to the red handprint. He saw that her hands were balled into fists as she turned around and ran toward the forest, tears hitting the ground as she ran. He watched her and with every step she took, he felt his heart break. His hand lowered as he looked up to the moon.

This is what his two year absence had done to her.

He sighed as he turned to the group of teens plus Negi and Eva. Scratching his head, he said, "Don't worry about, Mana-chan. I'll go see to her right now…you can go and rest now, after all, it was a very tiring battle for most of you." He did a small bow and left in Mana's direction.

The group didn't know what to think. One moment it was a nice little, heartwarming scene between Mana and the mysterious man, the next she takes off in tears and he's running after her. Eva was the first to break off their thoughts and stalked off in the other direction, toward the inn.

Eva smirked. "C'mon, you idiots. We're all going to go back to Konoe-san's home and sleep and then early tomorrow, you're taking me sight-seeing, Negi-boya."

"Eh?"

* * *

In the middle of a clearing, Mana stood, tears flowing from her eyes. She furiously wiped her eyes when she heard someone approaching her from behind. He got closer to her, so that he was directly behind her.

"Mana-chan…" Naruto called out.

"You left! Left me all alone and…" She started to cry out. Her back was still turned to him as she raked her hands against her scalp. "and…you have the nerve to just walk back into my life and act like everything's okay!"

"Please, calm down…" He said softly, his heart starting to grow heavy. He laid his hand on her shoulder. In reaction, she whipped around to face him. Her voice quivered.

"I showed you my deepest secret, I opened myself up to you and what do you do? You walked out of my life! Do you know how I felt? Knowing that the one person that mattered to me most even left me…" She began to whisper, eyes brimming with tears. "How every morning when I wake up, I'm haunted by the feeling of dread, wondering if you are lying dead somewhere? And then hating myself for actually still caring about you because of what you did…" Choking back tears, she hiccupped before continuing.

"The pain of being left by your best friend, the pain of being left out in the dark, the pain and confusion I felt of not knowing if it was me who drove you away! So, don't you dare tell me to calm down!" She started to beat on his chest with her fists until she grew tired and collapsed to the ground. Her right hand covering her mouth to try to reduce her hiccups as her body shook while she sobbed in front of him.

Naruto stared at her downed form as his reality came crashing down. The truth of her pain fell onto his shoulders and he felt like he was carrying the weight of the world. What he went through for the past few years was nothing compared to what she had gone through during his absence. He didn't know how she felt about him but whatever turmoil went on in her when he was gone told him that she at least thought of him as a friend…a friend who left her.

He knelt before Mana, who was still trying to silence her sobs, and enveloped her into his arms. He felt her stiffen before she slowly relaxed, softly hiccupping. She slowly rested her head against his shoulder as her small sobs filled the quiet air.

"Why did you leave?" Her sob lessened though her voice still quivered as she posed the question.

"I…can't tell you." Naruto replied. "At least…not yet."

"Why not?" She asked again with more confidence.

"I cannot say, but in when the right time comes, I'll tell you…everything." Naruto disclosed. "Until then, let's just worry about the present here." He wiped away her tears with his thumbs.

The trees started to rustle as the leaves fell and was scattered by the light wind. As the leaves danced around them, Mana leaned more into him as she enjoyed the warmth radiating from him. His heartbeat was like a metronome that could calm her to sleep. After moments of silence, Naruto stated,

"I think we better get back to Kansai Headquarters, so that Negi-san and his group know that I didn't do something to you."

He got up and she followed suit, albeit a bit disappointed much to her own confusion. Shaking it off, she stretched and yawned. She felt exhausted for some reason. Looking up, Mana noticed that he was already making his way out of the clearing.

Naruto turned back and grinned. "Are you coming, or what?"

* * *

They walked together back to Konoe-san's manor a.k.a. the Kansai Headquarters in silence. Mana would glance at him from the corner of her eyes, seeing how much he changed in two years. He had grown taller as did she and he was still a little bit taller than her. His hair was still as unruly and spiky as two years ago, but he seemed calmer than before.

Naruto was doing the same as he scrutinized her at the corner of his eyes. She was almost his height and her hair was really long now. She had also physically developed more too, he noted with a slight blush. Her skills with the guns he gave her had gotten deadlier which were admirable.

They made it to Konoe-san's place and were welcomed by Konoka's father, Eishun Konoe, who was reverted back from being a statue. He told them that the others had just come back a while ago and were out like a light in their rooms. He thanked them for saving his daughter and showed them the way to one of the rooms. Eishun had smiled sheepishly and scratched his head disclosing that there was only one more guest room and they would have to share or think of their own alternative. He welcomed Naruto back from his absence before leaving them at that.

They looked at each other. A long pregnant silence followed

"I guess I'll go back to my inn to sleep…" Naruto broke the silence awkwardly. He moved to leave when she stopped him with her hand.

"There's no need for that. You can share the room with me." She smirked. "Of course that doesn't mean that I have completely forgiven you, but it's a start on the road to forgiveness." She opened the sliding door, allowing him to walk in first. As he passed her, he heard her whisper, "…but the road to forgiveness is going to involve many bullets, blood, sweat, tears, and lots and lots of pain."

Walking in to the room, they noticed a single futon big enough for two already set out on the floor, candles lit everywhere which lighted the room dimly. They sweatdropped. Was Eishun expecting or trying to make something happen between them tonight? Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. He couldn't leave now, so he took off his jacket and bundled it up to make a make-shift pillow. As he did that, Mana saw that two sets of sleeping clothes were provided in the bathroom connected to the room. She locked the door and changed out of her tattered clothing before opening the door and throwing the other clothes to him. He nodded gratefully and went to change.

Mana lowered herself into the futon and under the covers. Naruto had walked out of the bathroom and discreetly placed his clothes in a neat pile by the wall. He calmly walked to where he put his jacket turned pillow. Unexpectedly, Mana reached up and caught his hand.

"Naruto?"

His eyes shone with curiosity. "What's wrong, Mana-chan?"

"Can you stay right beside me until I fall asleep?" Her cheeks were heated a vibrant pink. He nodded. She released his hand but he caught it. Naruto held her hand with his. Humming a small song, it quickly turned into a soft ballad as he serenaded her to sleep. Her steady breathing told him that she was fast asleep. Brushing the loose hair from her face, he lowered himself beside her and started to close his eyes, entering into his own land of dreams.

"I won't ever leave you again…"

For the first time in years, he didn't feel truly alone.

* * *

Mana Tatsumiya was not one who would usually sleep in. So, she was surprised to have opened her eyes a crack to see the sunlight streaming brightly into the room. Opening her eyes fully, the face of a certain blonde came into full view. Eyes widening, she remembered what had happened last night and calmed down. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. His mouth was slightly parted as he let out a soft snore. Watching him like this made her think about how he spent the past two years. Had he missed her as much as she did him? Her hand unconsciously went to caress his scarred cheeks as a small smile graced her lips. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that he did miss her, maybe even more than she missed him, even if it was possible or not. It was just the kind of man he was.

She watched him sleep and when she was about to remove her hand, he reflexively grabbed it in both hands and continued to hold her hand to his cheek. She let out a small giggle. He responded by slightly opening his eyes. He blinked as he looked at her.

"Mana-chan? You're up?" She nodded. Naruto got up and rubbed his eyes with one hand while the other was still holding her. He yawned and looked down to see her hand in his. Looking at her, he slowly let go.

"Sorry. I must have done that in my sleep."

"Stop acting like a stranger, Naruto. You were only holding my hand, nothing to apologize for." Mana sneered with a blush as she also got up. She kind of wanted him to still hold her hand. _'Wait, what?'_ She thought.

Blocking the sunlight, he lifted his left arm, which she noticed still had the arm brace attached on his left arm while the one on the other arm was taken off.

"Why didn't you take the brace off your left arm?" She asked.

He looked at it. "Oh… I must have forgotten."

"…what are you hiding underneath it, Naruto?" She asked with all seriousness.

"I'm not hiding anything. I just don't want to waste the energy." He grinned nervously.

Mana looked at him with an unbelieving look. He was definitely hiding something and this time, she wanted to know what.

"If you are too lazy, then let me take it off since you said you weren't hiding anything."

She tackled him and latched on to his arm. Naruto had swung his arm back so she had to lean on him to grab it. Her chest was right against his chest and she was rubbing against him as she tried to pry the brace off. Her weight added to his made them both fall to the futon once more. They rolled around as Naruto tried to pry Mana off but she held on with revere to his arm. He kept telling her there was nothing to the brace but she kept at it. They stopped rolling around as Mana got the advantage and had Naruto pinned to the ground on his back. Her legs and lower body held his legs in place and she lied on his chest to keep him still. She grinned victoriously as she was about to slip the brace off and reveal what he was hiding underneath.

The sliding door suddenly opened as Eishun stood in the doorway.

"I just thought that I should give you guys a wake up call since the others already left…" Eishun's eyes open to look at the two and they widened.

They were in a rather provocative position as Naruto's and Mana's pajama tops had come unbuttoned. Naruto's had nearly come off showing off his chest and Mana's was hanging off her shoulders from the wrestling revealing her bra. Add to the fact that Mana had him pinned down with her body laying on top of his and her face inches from his didn't make the scene look any less suggestive.

"Um, this isn't what it looks like?" Naruto tried to explain but Eishun held up both his hands.

"No need to explain to me what you guys were doing, Naruto. I thought you wanted to go sightseeing but it seems you guys want to spend you're last day here doing more intimate things and it seems like last night wasn't enough, hm? So, I'll let you two resume. Try not to make too much noise though!" He perversely smiled and closed the door.

By the time he left, both their faces were bright red. Naruto used the opportunity to knock Mana off his body and turned the tables by pinning her down this time. His superior strength allowed him to keep her down.

"Listen, Mana-chan…Yes, I am hiding something with my brace but please, this is a secret like the others that I'll reveal as time goes on, but for now…Please, trust me when I say that you don't have to worry about what lies beneath my arm brace." He gave her a small smile.

Mana looked to the side as she felt a bit shamefully about trying to pry into whatever he was hiding. He took a look at her underneath his frame. Her face was still sporting a blush as her hair scattered and also framed her face. She was only in her bra and her heavy breathing accentuated her chest. His gaze landed on her lips that seemed to call out to him. Finally landing on her eyes, she had turned to meet his gaze. Her eyes somehow gave of a magnetic pull and he felt himself lowering his head, letting his lips almost meet hers. Mana closed her eyes as she felt the need to try to meet him halfway. Their lips would've made contact had the door not burst open again.

"Oh, I also forgot to mention that-" Eishun's voice stated again before halting. They turned their heads to see him standing still with a bit of blood coming out of his nose.

Again, they were in a provocative position with Naruto being the dominant one and pinning her hands down with his and her legs with his. Mana's top had completely came off leaving her in only her bra and pajama bottom and Naruto's top was only hanging onto his right side. Their lips were also mere millimeters apart and their eyes were half-closed. They both turned their heads mechanically to look at Eishun.

"So, I was right with my assumptions and here I thought you two were going to stop and continue back in Mahora but I guess I was wrong and you two wanted to get to it right away after your long time away from each other. Sorry for interrupting again, please continue and I'll make sure no one else comes to interrupt you lovebirds." This time Eishun left with a full gush of blood erupting from his nose.

And once again, their faces were that of a tomato's. Naruto immediately got off her and offered her a hand which she took gratefully. Adjusting themselves, they gathered their things to leave. She kept the calm façade up though her cheeks were flushed red. He just looked at her with a blush adorning his face. As they were getting themselves oriented again, one thing crossed their minds as their faces continued to be flushed.

'_I wish we hadn't been interrupted…'_

* * *

"Where do you want to go to first, Mana-chan?" Naruto asked his female friend as they walked out of the Konoe manor. Eishun was shocked that they came out of the room so fast, but they ran for it before they could listen to what he was going to say. Naruto was clad in a red t-shirt and jeans and Mana was wearing a white blouse and capris, her guitar case hiding her guns slung over her shoulder. He fell over as Mana had decided to smack him on the head with her case.

"What was that for, Mana-chan?" He was hit again as the bruise on his head grew.

"I told you last night that the road to forgiveness had much pain involved and this is just one of those moments." She replied nonchalantly. "Now, first step down that road is that you will now address me as 'Mana-sama' until I tell you otherwise."

He blinked at her and he continued to rub his head. He slowly nodded as he said, "I did say that I'd gain your forgiveness, so alright, Mana-sama."

She nodded and smiled as she walked ahead. He ran after her and laid a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him with her eyebrow raised.

"Then, allow me to carry your guitar case on my own accord, Mana-sama." Naruto grabbed her case and slung it on his own shoulders. "Now, where to again?" Their stomachs growled in response.

He gave a hearty laugh and walked off, saying, "To the anmitsu shop, I presume." She ran to catch up with him as they proceeded to the same shop they had gone to years before. Though this time, she joined in on his laughter.

* * *

They finished their meal and were off once again. Mana insisted on not telling him where she wanted to go and instead lead the way. And here they were, in front of the famous, local hot spring. They both walked in and Mana walked to the entrance to the women's section when she heard familiar voices coming from inside. They were her classmates' voices. She stood frozen, weighing out the choices of either going in to bathe with her loud, obnoxious classmates or her loud, rambunctious slave. Thinking intently about the choices, she did a 360 and dragged Naruto to the entrance of the mixed gender side. Modesty be darned. The classmates she overheard were the group she ditched yesterday and if she just walked in, there'd be many, many questions that she didn't feel like answering yet. Besides, she knew that Naruto had the decency to not be too much of a pervert and respected her body or at least she hoped he did.

"Why are we going to the mixed section?" Naruto asked confusedly.

"I don't feel like going to the women's side, so we are going to the mixed side."

"Why can't I just go to the male side?"

"Simple," She pushed him into the bathing part of the hot spring where there were separate washing stalls. "I wanted my man-slave to keep me company and protect me if any danger occurs."

"I'm your man-slave now? I thought I'd just be pummeled to the ground but I guess you're into bondage so..." He received a bruise of his head, courtesy of Mana's guitar case.

"I'm going to bathe over here, so don't peek." She moved to the side and started to strip.

He turned his head to look forward where he was again. "I won't." Naruto proceeded to quickly wash himself with the soap and water and grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around his waist. He walked out to see he had finished up first and discarded the towel and lowered himself into the hot water. He let the water cover him up to his mid chest. The one word that came to his find was relaxing as he closed his eyes. He heard someone approaching and dipping into the water and knew from the movements that it was Mana.

Mana settled herself in a comfortable position as she sat and enjoyed that water. She looked across at Naruto and a slight tinge of pink adorned her cheeks as the memory of this morning was still fresh on her mind. She shook the thought from her head and also shut her eyes.

"So…" She heard, "What was the real reason you decided not to head to the women's side of the bath?" Cracking an eye open, she saw that he had both his eyes shut but he had a vulpine grin on his face. It reminded her of Kaede.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She huffed as she blew a strand of hair from her face.

"Is it…because of your classmates on the other side?"

"How'd you…?"

The grin expanded. "I've known you for years. I can read you like an open book besides I could sense their familiar auras."

She hmphed. "Yeah, it's because of them, so don't do anything to bring their attention over here, I don't want to take their constant questions just yet." The grin subsided and he gave her a smile in affirmation. He didn't tell her that he could also sense the new aura of a certain red-head reporter who was currently on the other side of the wood fence in the women's side.

* * *

"…Taking commemorative photos!" Kazumi yelled as she held up her camera when group 4 asked her what she was doing hiding in the bushes.

"Asakura-san, why aren't you with your group?" Akira inquired as she held a towel to her chest just in case Kazumi was going to take more pictures.

Kazumi scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Well…I ditched them because as Class 3-A's Number 1 Reporter, it is my job to run around and take some last minute photos on the trip."

"So, you take pictures of us in the nude!" Yuna hollered.

"Yep!" Her eyes lit up a second later. "Hey, I have an idea…" This caught the other girls' attentions.

"The photos don't have to be of the class, just something memorable, right?" The girls leaned in to hear more. "So, let's peek into the mixed and male side and take 'memorable pictures'!" They all fell over.

"Eh! Asakura is a pervert!" In turn, Kazumi shrugged before running out and back in seconds. _'That was quick' _they thought.

She sighed. "No one in the male side."

Placing buckets and other things lying around down as steps, she balanced herself with her camera and hand and peeked over taking a quick peek. Looking over, she saw Mana sitting alone in the water.

"Well, well, it seems like a certain classmate of ours is sitting on the other side."

"Who, Asakura!" Makie asked as she ran to wear Kazumi placed the knick knacks to keep her up.

"Who else but the missing member of your group?"

They put two and two together.

"Tatsumiya-san is here?"

"Let's go keep her company!"

"That's a great idea, let's!"

And so they got their towels and moved to the other section.

* * *

"Did you find the gun yet?" Mana asked apprehensively.

"No." He bluntly stated. "Why did you chuck the gun?"

"I thought I heard something."

"He raised an eyebrow. "You couldn't have shot at it?"

"…I forgot to restock the bullets from last night…" She said indignantly.

"That's unlike you…"

"Yeah, yeah, keep looking for it. It's a good gun." Her tone told him she was joking around.

He continued searching around. His towel was wrapped around his waist when he got up to retrieve her gun. This gave her a good view of a few scars on his body. There were no large scars as far as she could see but there were quite a few. To her disappointment, his left forearm no longer had the brace on but there were medical bandages covering it up. Around his neck was a necklace with a ruby in the middle that was accented with silver. Overall, it looked like jewelry a noble would have. She saw him looking behind a rock and coming back empty-handed.

"Maybe it's in the water." She suggested.

"Thanks." His voice dripped with sarcasm. He dove into the water after taking a breath.

Mana sat back and waited but a voice interrupted her.

"Tatsumiya-san!" Oh no…

Slowly looking up, she saw Kazumi and her group.

"…hello?" She half asked as they smiled and plopped in next to her telling her that they noticed her and thought she'd need company.

"Why are you here alone, Tatsumiya-san?"

"I'm not. I'm here with a friend."

"Do we know her?"

"No"

"Well…who is it?"

"I found it!" They turned to see a rather tall and good-looking male coming out from behind a rock holding a gun.

A long silence reigned as they stared back and forth.

"Ahhh!" The girls screamed. "Rapist! Someone call the police!"

"Eh?" Naruto let the gun flip down on his finger. "N-No, it's all a misunderstanding! I'm a friend of hers!" He pointed at Mana. The girls turned to her and saw that Mana was nodding.

"Yeah, he's a friend of mine, so please stop overreacting."

Kazumi reacted first. "Well, alright then. If he's a friend of Mana then he's a friend of ours!" Naruto sweatdropped as the other girls nodded in agreement. Are these girls bipolar?

Kazumi strutted up to Naruto and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Nice to meet ya! My name is Kazumi Asakura, Number 1 Reporter of Class 3-A. Will you please answer these questions?"

"Well…"

"Okay! What's your name? Where are you from? Do you have a girlfriend? What's your relationship to Mana? What is your ideal girl?"

'_This will take a while…' _Naruto thought.

* * *

After an hour of answering questions and reassuring them that Mana was not an assassin and that the gun was a soft air gun, they left the group of girls. They ended up walking around the park for a bit before heading to the station for the return back to Mahora. He had a friend bring his motorcycle to Mahora beforehand. He personally made a call to Old Man Konoemon that he was returning and he in turn gave the okay for him to accompany the class back. Naruto greeted Nitsuta and Shizuna as they and the rest of the class showed up. Class 3-A, save for the few who already saw him, were wondering who he was, but let it off since the teachers were fine with it.

They all boarded the bullet train and placed their luggage in the overhead compartments and settled down for the long trip back. Negi sat beside Asuna as he snuck a gaze at Naruto who was sitting comfortably with Mana in another two-seater. Negi remembered how Eva-san told him that Namikaze-san was a good person and if he were to trust anyone for help, it'd be him. He felt relieved and yawned as he closed his eyes and laid his head onto shoulder of Asuna, who also fell asleep. Hopefully Eva-san was right.

Naruto rested his head against the seat as the students began to settle down and the train lurched forward. Even his usual stoic companion was starting to look drowsy. He chuckled inside as he saw Mana closed her eyes and was fast asleep in a second. She ended up resting her head against his shoulder as a makeshift pillow and he smiled and brushed a strand of hair from her face. Soon enough, the motion of the train made him shut his eyes and greet slumber, his head resting softly against Mana's.

"My, my…the rowdiest class…quiet at last." Shizuna smiled as she conversed with Nitsuta.

"They're like little angels. It's so cute!" She noticed Negi and Asuna, and Naruto and Mana and giggled. "Especially them! They make cute couples."

"Hm, there will be time for that later. But, for Namikaze-kun to be able to have gotten so close to Tatsumiya-san, it is quite astonishing." Nitsuta mused. "He is indeed a very special person, as is Negi-sensei…"

* * *

_Cerulean eyes opened to see swirls of dark colors twisted into a strange dream world. Each step he took was full of uncertainty whether he would fall through the invisible pathway and into whatever abyss lie beneath the swirl of colors. Cracks appeared beneath him as he strode forward into the vast unknown. Walking further, he came upon an elegant, white room with a great, bright, white sphere in the center. Naruto couldn't see what was lying inside but spotted a young boy glimpsing at a close perimeter at the sphere. The boy turned to him and offered a small smile. It was then that Naruto could distinguish his appearance._

_The little boy had light brown hair that was spiked up to the side. He was wearing all white. He turned and smiled, nodding as his frame was slowly dispersing. He looked familiar. Naruto walk toward him, a hand outstretched._

"_Wait! W-Who are you!" He was already left. _

_Looking to the side, he saw that the sphere had cracks all over it. Running his hands over the surface, he felt a certain familiarization. A door materialized behind the sphere. Opening the door, he walked in before it de-materialized. Seeing no way out, he continued forward…_

* * *

"Naruto. Naruto." Naruto felt someone shaking him by the shoulders.

"Huh?" Mana came into his vision. He looked out the window and saw that they had arrived in Mahora and the others were already filing out. He got up tiredly and walked like a zombie out with Mana, who handed him all her luggage. They walked out into the night and saw Takahata and Old Man Konoemon waiting for their arrival. Negi, Nitsuta, Shizuna, and Naruto went up to him. After having a brief exchange, Konoemon told them all to rest and that things will be discussed further tomorrow. They dispersed and Naruto walked back to where Mana was waiting. The other girls were going back to their dorm.

He walked her to her dorm room and when they got there, he placed her bags inside for her.

"…where are you going to stay?" Mana inquired.

"Back where I stayed before. In the shrine." He lifted the one bag he had with him over his shoulder and walked off.

"See you tomorrow, Mana-sama!" Naruto called out as he walked to his destination. When he addressed her like that, he felt like it didn't fit her. Calling her 'Mana-sama' just didn't seem right, but he shook the thought off.

The brisk, night air made him think about the dream he had before. Who was that boy? And…why did he seem so familiar? What were all sudden and strange dreams? He felt so…confused. Were they clues to what he had been searching for? The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt.

He made it to his living quarters and turned on the lights. He was surprised to see it sparkling clean. All his things were already in the room, thanks to a friend and his motorcycle should be in the shed. He'd have to ask Mana about it later. Flopping onto his bed, he grabbed his bag and unzipped it…and pulled out a black cat. He cuddled it.

"Mreow."

"Aw…you're so cute!" He gushed. "I think I'll name you…Ciel." Smiling as he saw Ciel purr, he set her down in a small bed he bought and got ready for bed. He looked forward to a good slumber. He closed his eyes, but he wouldn't be able to get the rest he wanted.

* * *

Rain began to fall though most of the inhabitants of Mahora Campus were already safe in there respective rooms as night had already set in. Raindrops danced along the pavement and drummed a harmonious beat that helped nearly all to slip into a peaceful sleep. Not everyone was lucky enough to enjoy this unexpected lullaby though… Naruto sat and looked out at the rain from his old living quarters. The lights weren't turned on and the only available source of light came from the frequent bolts of lightning that sliced through the clouds. He had taken off the arm braces and left them on his desk. His eyes unconsciously closed as he touched his left forearm. He started off having a good sleep, but he was awakened by a voice that reminded him of his predicament. He took a deep breath and let his arms swing to his side.

On his left forearm was a tattoo that depicted a numberless clock. The single hand was pointing to his forearm, the half-way marker. As he stood there, he felt a sort of madness just thinking about the consequences of when the hand of the clock finishes its rotation. His eyes opened. Lightning crackled, illuminating his features. There was a slight black coloring that was slowly blending into the blue of his eyes. His hand went to cover the changing eye.

He whispered a single statement. "I'm running out of time…"

* * *

**And that's a wrap! I finally got my own PlayStation 3 for Christmas! And Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood! So, if any of you have a PS3 and want to add me as a friend or just play some multiplayer on Brotherhood, I'd be happy to agree. I only have like one friend because many of my friends have an XBOX 360. So, my online ID is: Redflash-Legacy (But if you do try to add me, could you PM or tell me who you are because I don't want to randomly have a stalker like I do on Facebook.). I don't think this chapter was as good as I had wanted it to be but I kinda rushed…sorry! Btw, the dreams are clues to Naruto's past…**

**As you can see above, I started this chapter just after Christmas and it took me this long. X****in lỗi! The one scene seems a bit OC-ish, maybe? But this is my story so it seemed good to me! No lemons…yet…maybe? And alas, it seems that Mana also has strong feelings for Naruto but when will they be together? Will Naruto know of Mana's reciprocated feelings? Tune in next time on Dreaming Wide Awake!**


	4. Memories in the Rain

**Hello. I seem to be noticing that sometimes Mana seems a bit OOC, but I also realized that in the manga and anime, we only see her as a calm and collective girl. There is always more than one layer to a person and because this story centers on Naruto and Mana, I will be peeling away at that antisocial layer and showing the deeper and hidden layers of the two. This is why I think Mana is very interesting and she is one of my favorite people in the class. She is interesting because there is so much potential in her character and giving my own rendition of what lies beneath her cool façade is very amusing for me to write! **

**Ano! The cat from the previous chapter is male even though I mistakenly put 'her'. I don't feel like fixing it so…**

**On a recent note, I have been playing Skyrim and the Uncharted series both of which are awesome! ****Sorry for the short chapter but I have been in a writer's block and I think this is more of a reflection chapter anyway. **

**D****isclaimer: Still nothing is owned by me.**

**~.R.~.E~.D.~.F.~.L.~.A.~.S.~H.~**

**Dreaming Wide Awake**

**Chapter 4: Memories in the Rain**

**~.R.~.E~.D.~.F.~.L.~.A.~.S.~H.~**

"…so that is the basics for your job," Konoemon stated.

"So, I am basically a lunatic who runs around helping and doing whatever is available?"

"Well, you are more or less a security guard but with more responsibilities and jobs."

"Mm-hm, right…"

"However, there has been some disturbing news lately."

"Several students had said that they witnessed a suspicious and menacing figure lurking about in the shadows, but when I asked Evangeline and the others in charge of the campus' barrier, they told me that the barrier had not been infiltrated by outside forces. This leads me to think that it must be an insider. Evangeline has also noted that she did feel a malevolent aura moving about Mahora, if only for a brief moment."

"Furthermore, Negi-kun and his class have just returned from their field trip several weeks ago and with the recent attack by Wilhelm…" Konoemon let the statement hang.

"So, you suspect that…" Naruto picked up slowly, "whoever this person is, they might be targeting Negi or his class, possibly both?"

Konoemon nodded in affirmative.

"This is disturbing." Naruto said, his voice was serious as it always is when missions concerning people's well-being were given. "You want me to monitor the campus to get to the bottom of this, correct?"

"Exactly."

Naruto made to leave.

Konoemon halted Naruto. "Naruto-kun, two questions before you go." Naruto stood attentively.

"Have you been feeling any different?" Konoemon asked.

Naruto shook his head confusedly.

"Okay, and have you any luck with your personal quest?"

"Yes, I have been able to locate half of the documents."

"Alright, we will discuss that another day. You may leave." He did so.

Konoemon ran his finger through his beard in deep thought.

**~.R.~.E~.D.~.F.~.L.~.A.~.S.~H.~**

"How does it feel to have a teacher who is only ten?"

Mana looked at Naruto as he asked her the question.

"Not as strange as it seems though in our work, how much stranger can things get?" Mana responded. "Negi-sensei is very mature for his age and more so than others…" She purposely sent a look at the blond.

Naruto faked pain. "How you wound me!"

The two were walking leisurely about Mahora campus. The campus itself was not as quiet and peaceful as before due to preparations for the Annual Mahora Festival which begins in a week. The Kyoto Trip sat weeks into the past though the memories lasted fresh in their minds. Mana told him that Negi was stepping up his training and he was recently attacked by a man named Wilhelm. He stood up against the man and was able to win with Kotaro. Negi sure was something. It was expected because he was the son of Nagi.

"How is your patrol going along?" Mana asked him this time.

"Old Man Konoemon told you?" She nodded at him. "Nothing is really happening. No trace of the mysterious figure. I have an ominous feeling though like something bad is going to happen."

"Hey, shouldn't you be helping set up for the festival too?" He continued.

"No. My class finished the basics already and Ayaka-san took it upon herself and a few others to finish the details themselves." She smirked. "I don't know whether to be glad or not at the fact that it is now a mildly perverted haunted house and not an extremely perverse maid café."

"Oh? And what is this haunted house?" His eyebrows rose as he looked at her.

"It's more like a fan service house. Three levels are your options and they differ in 'scare' factor. Thankfully, I won't be in the levels and I'll be waiting at the entrance to wave them through."

"I'll definitely be there." Naruto noted. A playful air developed.

She sent a look at him before smiling lusciously. "So, you want to see me in a skimpy outfit, _Naruto-kun_?"

"How could I not, _Mana-sama._" They stared into each other's eyes for several moments before both burst out laughing. It was great that they could still joke around like this.

He wiped a fake tear from his eyes. "I am serious about seeing you though." They strode slowly by the World Tree. Naruto halted her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Would you like to spend time with me during the festival, Mana-sama?" He looked at her hopefully.

She paused. Hesitatingly, she answered. "Sure, Naruto. I'd love to."

"So…does this count as a date?"

"Keep dreaming."

"Don't worry, I will."

Naruto smiled, waved and walked off as she entered her dorm.

**~.R.~.E~.D.~.F.~.L.~.A.~.S.~H.~**

Naruto Namikaze was walking around the campus, enjoying the fresh air. It helped him unwind and relax his mind. Stranger and stranger dreams have been assaulting his mind. The dreams had recurring people that he was sure he had never met before in his life. The young boy from his previous dreams kept reappearing and lately a new woman had begun appearing. Every single dream that played inside his head always ended with the same message;

'_It's time for you to awaken your true self…' _

He mulled it over but to no prevail or hope of finding any straight answer. The smile on his face changed into a frown as he wracked at his brain. Naruto shook his head and decided to think this over again when he got home.

He looked around and was amazed by all the work that was being put into the festival. His pace slowed as he studied the different things that were being set up. Different students and teachers waved warmly at him. His eyes landed on a girl that was exiting a shop nearby. Naruto's eyes widened as he recognized her even from a distance. It was uncanny. She was the woman that penetrated his dreams. He decided to follow her to see if she really was the same woman and if possible, to get answers.

**~.R.~.E~.D.~.F.~.L.~.A.~.S.~H.~**

Mana Tatsumiya quietly shut the door to her room. With the flick of her wrist, she opened the door to her bathroom and turned on the shower faucet. Slowly discarding her clothes, she stepped in, allowing the hot water to wash over her. Taking showers always made her feel better because it reminded her of the rain.

She loved the rain.

The rain washed away all the blood that stained her hands and wiped away all the sins that weighed on her shoulders.

The water pellets slid off her body and hit the floor like light drum taps. She leaned against the shower wall, her wet hair clinging to the sides of her face and her back. She was thinking.

What was she thinking about?

Naruto.

"That bastard, coming into my life, leaving me, and waltzing back in with that damned smile of his…God, I hate him."

The words that left her lips were hollow because she already knew that they were a lie. She could never hate him though she'd never admit it. His smile always warmed her even when she tried to freeze her heart.

Her hand grasped her shoulder, an old habit of hers that surfaced whenever she was deep in thought.

Ever since she met him over 4 years ago, she always had feelings for him. She always tried to keep these feelings down but he kept breaking through her barrier. The times that he was gone made these feelings burst to the surface and she wished for him to return.

Because she longed for him.

Once he came back, she felt…

What exactly was she feeling? What did she feel for him? Could she…?

Could she have fallen in love with him?

Love. The word sounded so foreign to her. She faintly remembered feeling loved…

No…she promised herself that this wouldn't happen again. Love was just too painful. Daisuke was like a father to her and she loved him as such. Her lips quivered at the memory of the pain she felt when he died. Then, she thought of her parents. The pain that followed those memories was unbearable. She didn't want to feel that way again. She did not want to lose him.

She didn't fully understand why she hid her feelings. Maybe it was just easier…less troublesome. Maybe it just saved her from getting hurt.

That's right.

Casting away her feelings helped her to get away from the pain…to hide from the pain.

But there was a problem.

She felt exposed…she felt exposed near him. She felt naked just thinking about the blonde. His entire presence unwound her. He was an enigma.

Mana slumped to the floor.

Maybe, just maybe, her contempt over love was because love spawned fear?

The unvoiced fear of his rejection if he knew of her heritage and her past, it just further proved that love caused too much pain.

Her fingers traced over the jagged scars that littered her back. They were ugly reminders of her past. They made _her_ ugly. Not only were the scars forged into her body but they would forever be burned into her soul.

How could someone like Naruto love a broken spirit like her?

She was simply a girl who walked down a path of pain, love, lost, and more pain; a girl whose rich hazelnut eyes were haunted by the ghosts of her past; a girl who could not forget her past.

She could not find a reason as to how he could think of her as anything more than a friend.

Times like this made her wish she had a motherly figure in her life or even a close female friend to vent with. Maybe tomorrow, she'd go see Shizuna.

She did not even care that the water had started to turn cold. Mana just sat there wondering what to do.

**~.R.~.E~.D.~.F.~.L.~.A.~.S.~H.~**

Naruto tailed slowly behind the redheaded woman. She wore a silk, purple kimono with white colored cherry blossoms adorning it. As she moved, the silk followed her every movement. He was not sure if she knew he was following or not but he wouldn't be surprised if she did now. She would constantly look behind her, her long, ruby hair cutting through the air.

The woman glided away from him. And he felt like he could follow her to the ends of the earth. Blinking slowly, he finally realized that she had led him to a field filled with blossoms that were blowing in the wind. And then…

She started to dance. His breath hitched. Every movement, every step entranced him to such a state where he no longer saw anything but the dancer in front of him. The beautiful girl turned to address him for the first time. She took hold of his hand and guided him to the center of the field. She and he danced, hours passing by as they lost track of time. The moon shone in their eyes as she smiled at him and he felt his cheeks warm. An angelic smile she had.

Leading him in their frolic, they were in perfect sync with each other. A few more moves and a final twirl was when he found himself holding her tightly against his chest after spinning her to him. Naruto held on to the woman and was hypnotized by her red, ruby eyes. Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight as he looked down at her visage. She felt…familiar. He felt like he should know her but he just couldn't remember.

The girl pursed her lips and edged toward his face. Her eyes closed as she placed a chaste kiss on his lips. Naruto felt her lips part from his and trailed his jaw and to his left ear. She whispered her name to him before her hands lightly pushed against his chest and she left his grasp. He reached for her but…

She simply disappeared.

**~.R.~.E~.D.~.F.~.L.~.A.~.S.~H.~**

Silence permeated through the air as Naruto sat at his paper-covered desk. Everything lying in front of him was supposed to shed light on his origins but it still didn't make much sense to him. Daisuke left behind a letter with clues to locations that hid these parchments.

'This isn't adding up. Why all the secrecy around my past? Why not just tell me from the beginning? What were you up to when you hid all this?' Naruto thought.

Each time he found a new clue, he would dream about the same room with the sphere from before. A new crack would appear on the sphere every time though and it only served to baffle him. Was he getting closer to unraveling his past? He sometimes wondered. Naruto reread every single page he had in his possession and he could not find the connection to himself.

A few of the pages described a lost continent known as the Elemental Nations and further explained a specific area: The Land of Fire. Reading them at the time, Naruto didn't know whether to believe or wave it off as a joke. He chose the former after having recurring dreams about a village hidden in the leaves before recovering a page depicting the exact village he saw. Other than 'historical' accounts he found drawings of villages, a monument with several faces on it, and a memorial stone though… nothing affected him more than a simple list of names. Every name of the list, he could visualize the person clearly and he didn't know why.

Kakashi Hatake, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Tsunade and a few other names were legible but some become smudged and therefore illegible. Their faces were so familiar yet so foreign. Were they old friends? Was he a ninja from the village? If so, how did he end up here? And what this damn clock on his arm is counting down to?

And the beautiful woman. Her eyes were so full of sadness when he stared at her. It was almost like she was waiting in vain for her lover whom she knew would not return. He could remember her dancing. It was so raw, so full of emotion. Yet something changed when he joined her, almost like hope had rekindled in her being.

Naruto walked to his window and stared out into the silent night as rain started to fall.

"Who am I? And who are you…Kyubi?"

**~.R.~.E~.D.~.F.~.L.~.A.~.S.~H.~**

**Curious indeed… How do you think my writing is right now? I'm still young but I wish to improve.**

**And I know that "Kyubi" is not a name but actually a title from "Kyubi no Yoko" but I find it easier for me and everyone to understand who it is, rather than giving her a new name and people thinking she is an OC.**

**Also, I must sheepishly add that I have not fully read the manga. Seeing as I am broke and I hate reading manga online, I will probably focus on Naruto and Mana and since Mana doesn't have too much face time, it'll be easier due to me not being fully aware of the manga. I only look at chapters with Mana to see if any background is being revealed and also the recent chapters though I am confused. It'll be much appreciated if you could point out my mistakes on the plot. Other than that, I'm winging everything. And also, I am not great at writing fighting scenes, so take that however you will.**

**Finally, for the pactio making process, does a pactio circle need to be made to form the contract? **

**And sorry again if any of this is confusing, I was trying to find a way to get out of my block and this came out so…yeah.**

**What do you think so far? Does it grasp your intention? Want to see more? If so, review...please? They inspire me.**


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